There was once a time in the world of 3D printing when 3D printers hoped that the 3D printing machine would successfully print a consistent 3D model in the shortest time possible.
Fortunately, Skirt 3D printing adhesion assistance is now available; you can print quality products quicker and faster.
The Skirt in 3D printing works by outlining the model’s base so that it doesn’t touch the print surface of the 3d model. It is popularly known as the 3D printing technique/bed adhesion assistant that prints quality models and still exhaust little to no filaments during the printing time.
Recommended reading: The Strongest 3D Printing Filament in 2023
There is more. In this article, you will learn what Skirt does and its many benefits. Let’s get started!
What Is a Skirt and What Does a Skirt Do?
A 3D printing skirt is the first or initial layer of extruded filament in a successful print. It is not a part of the actual model but is an essential setting for constructing a 3D-printed object with a continuous flow of filament.
A Skirt aids the successful printing of a three-dimensional model by priming the 3d printer’s nozzle, acting as an adhesion base for the 3D print surface, clarifying the size & diameter of the 3D object to be printed and providing stability to objects.
A 3D skirt line will also reduce the total model printing time, the waste material and the total amount of 3D printing filament required to complete the actual 3D model. However, it is an outline that surrounds your part but does not touch the part. So it is better to use 3-5 skirt lines, especially if the model print area is small.
A skirt will help your 3D printing process in the above ways but will not add support/adhesion to the actual model. If you want to use a warp-prone filament to print a tall 3d model, we advise using a Raft 3D printing adhesion assistant or a Brim 3D printing adhesion assistant.
You can achieve a skirt by using your slicer’s default settings or programming the G-code of the slicer software you use for your 3D prints. This section will show you the major 3D skirt print setting and dimensions to use in your slicer software.
Number of Skirt Line
The number of skirt lines is also known as the skirt line count. It controls the width and amount of filament used to print the skirt. Most slicer applications are set to print just 1 line of the skirt.
However, it is common knowledge amongst experienced 3D printing communities to print 3 to 5 lines of skirt line counts.
The Skirt Distance
Skirt distance is the distance/separation space between the innermost skirt line and the outermost base of the actual 3D print model.
The separation distance between layers of the skirt and the object should decrease as the size of the actual print model increases. E.g., 10mm for small-sized models and 5mm for large-sized models.
Skirt Thickness
The third most crucial parameter to edit when programming a skirt into a slicer is the skirt thickness/skirt height/skirt layers.
Skirt thickness has several names, but they all mean the same thing. It is the number of layers to be printed. It controls how difficult a 3d printer user will find removing the skirt from the print bed to be. It also controls the layer surface finish of the actual model’s base.
If your skirt layer height is just 1 layer thick, separating the skirt from the print bed will be hard after printing the object model, so use 2 to 3 layers of the skirt instead.
Remember that the number of skirt lines and the thickness plays a significant role in the print quality, smoothness and usefulness of the printed 3D model.
Having discussed the terms you need to know about Skirts, here are the major benefits of Skirts.
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Benefits of Skirt
Gone are the days when the impact of Skirt was unknown. Today, Skirt has made a positive impact on 3D-printed models. Below are the 3 significant benefits of a skirts.
Signals the Printing Machine User
One major benefit of using the skirt adhesion type to construct a 3D model is the early detection of some printing issues.
For example, if the printer head (nozzle) is too close to the print bed, the filament will not be extruded, or the extrusion rate will be rough when the 3D printer tries to print the skirt.
Also, if you didn’t program the 3D slicer software appropriately, the skirt would show adhesion issues like poor adhesion, the inconsistent flow rate of the melted filament, etc.
Ascertains the Print Bed Uniformity
Because the skirt is the first thin layer of filament that will be printed, it makes it easier for the 3D user to check the consistency of the print bed level.
When the skirt has been printed to a certain length, observe how straight the base is. If you notice little/large dips on the 3D skirt, check the printing plate and change it to a leveled print surface.
Construct the 3D Models With a Small Amount of Time and Filament.
The considerable amount of filament required to print a skirt is small; compared to the filament used for other forms of bed adhesion assistance such as raft 3D printing and 3D printing Brim .
A skirt in 3D printing does not exhaust too much printing time. So if you are in a rush to print a short 3D model, you can check the working condition of your 3D printer by using a valid adhesion assistant option such as the skirt.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Skirt
Skirt is a helpful form of adhesion assistant with specific advantages and disadvantages.
Before deciding whether skirt is the best option for constructing your 3D model, read the below advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
- It helps detect common issues (e.g., delayed extrusion caused by abrasive).
- It is sustainable because it doesn’t add significant time to the printing process, unlike other adhesion techniques.
- Skirt 3-D printing is cost-effective because it doesn’t require much filament to support the printing.
Disadvantages
- It offers poor layer adhesion support for tall-sized 3D models.
- Skirts can limit the size of the actual prints due to the voluminous space it requires in printing.
- Unlike a Raft, it does not offer the benefits of a smooth base finish for the actual model.
Frequently Asked Questions for Unveiling Exactly What a Skirt Does
There are 3 major types of adhesion assistants (Build plate adhesion type).
They include the Brim type of adhesion assistant, the Skirt type of adhesion assistant and the Raft type of adhesion assistant
The major difference between these 3 adhesion assistants is in their adhesive strengths.
A raft has the best adhesion assistance, the Brim provides standard layer adhesion assistance and the skirt offers minor adhesion assistance.
An infill pattern. An infill pattern, precisely a triangular infill shape, is the strongest shape for 3D printing because it provides the best support, are less likely to deform and extrude quickly.
Sometimes, your filament may not stick to the bed adhesion plate. Issues with bed adhesion may occur for these two major reasons:
If the 3D printer isn’t extruding properly or
If your filament is warp-prone,
Resolve this issue by tuning the nozzle temperature and changing the filament to less warp-prone filaments like the ABS filament. The ABS filament works well in this situation.
Coating it, keeping it neat and using an optimized temperature for the build plate. You could improve the build plate of a 3D printing machine by coating it with colored hair sticks and hairspray such as L’oreal Paris lock it hairspray.
Conclusion
This simple adhesion assistant has improved the efficiency of 3D printers by reducing printing time and validating the working condition of the 3D printing machine parts. It can also help you by predicting the appearance of the actual 3D model in real life with the skirt lines.
So, if you own or want to start a 3D printing business, learning Skirt 3D printing should be part of your business goals.
